African football has improved so much in recent years. Most African footballers have played a crucial part in football clubs worldwide, including European clubs, Asian clubs, etc.
Mohammed Salah, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, and other African footballers have played a vital part at different Premier League clubs. Due to their hard work and talent, these players have become some of the highest-paid players in their leagues.
Let us look at the top ten richest footballers in Africa in 2021. This list will only cover African footballers who are still active in football.
Top 10 richest footballers in Africa in 2021
- Muhammad Salah - $70 Million
- John Obi Mikel – $45 Million
- Emmanuel Adebayor – $45 Million
- Sadio Mane – $30 Million
- Pierre Emrick Aubameyang – $30 Million
- Victor Moses – $25 Million
- Asamoah Gyan – $25 Million
- Kevin Prince Boateng – $20 Million
- Odion Ighalo – $20 Million
- Riyad Mahrez - Net worth of $18.5 million
1. Muhammad Salah - $70 Million
Mohamed Salah is currently the richest footballer in Africa in 2021, with an impressive net worth of $70 million. Salah is an Egyptian professional footballer, who plays as a winger for English football club Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah is the richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
His move to Liverpool from Roma in 2017 has been a blessing for the superstar. At Liverpool, Salah has been one of the most vital players in the club.
He has helped Liverpool win many titles in the past three years, including the Champions Lague, Club World Cup, Super Cup, and the Premier League title in 2019.
Salah's incredible talent and effort at Liverpool have earned him the current club's highest-paid player with an annual salary of $23.1 million, adding to his previous wages in the past years, which has helped him become the richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
Adding to Salah's salary are his endorsements, which generate over $12 million annually, including his deals with Adidas, DHL International, Electronic Arts, ExxonMobil, and Vodafone-USD.
2. John Obi Mikel – $45 Million
John Mikel Obi is the second-richest footballer in Africa, earning a vast annual salary of $45 million. Mikel Obi is a Nigerian football player who has played in the top flight in his football career.
Mikel Obi is the second richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
In playing for Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League, in recent years, Mikel Obi has gained so much wealth to become one of the richest footballers in Africa.
Mikel Obi started his football career as a midfielder for the Nigerian local football team Plateau United before joining Lyn Football Club in Norway in 2014.
After two years in Norway, Mikel Obi joined the English club Chelsea, where he spent eleven years. He earned lots of money at the London club before moving to Tianjin TEDA (a Chinese football club) in 2017. At Tianjin TEDA, he received over $7.5 million annually.
Presently, Mikel Obi is the richest footballer in Nigeria among the top ten richest footballers in Nigeria.
During his time at Chelsea, Mikel Obi was a crucial part of the club's squad that won the 2009 Premier League; he made 25 Premier League appearances for Chelsea in that season.
Since leaving China, Mikel Obi has played for three different clubs, including Middlesbrough in the English Championship, Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super League, and is currently playing for Kuwait SC in Kuwait.
3. Emmanuel Adebayor – $45 Million
Emmanuel Adebayor is the 3rd richest footballer in Africa in 2021, with a net worth of $45 million. Adebayor is a Togolese professional football player. He currently plays as a striker for Paraguayan club Olimpia.
Emmanuel Adebayor is the 3rd richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
Adebayor's lucrative net worth, which has placed him as one of the richest footballers in Africa, is from his past success at different European top clubs, including Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham, Crystal Palace, and Real Madrid.
The striker spent ten years in England, acquiring wealth that has raised his net worth. At Manchester City, Adebayor earned an annual salary worth $25 million, while at Tottenham, he received a yearly salary of $5 million.
His early five years in Metz and Monaco also helped him increase his net worth. Adebayo played for İstanbul Başakşehir, and Kayserispor in the Turkish Super League for four years.
4. Sadio Mane – $30 Million
Sadio Mane is the 4th richest footballer in Africa in 2021, with a whopping net worth of $30 million. Mane, known for his strength and hard work, is currently playing for English Premier League club Liverpool and Senegal national team.
Sadio Mane is the 4th richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
Sadio Mane is one of the best players in Liverpool and the Premier League since he joined the Reds from Southampton in 2016.
Over the past five years at Liverpool, Mane has been a prolific player, helping Liverpool win many European titles, including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup.
In the 2019 season, Mane was also one of the key players who helped Liverpool win the Premier League, their first Premier League trophy in 16 years.
In the past years, Mane has received massive salaries worth £100,000 per week, raising his net worth to become one of the richest footballers in Africa in 2021.
The gifted midfielder has also won many individual awards that helped increase his net worth, making him one of the richest footballers in Africa. His awards include the Liverpool Players' Player of the Season Award, the African Footballer of the Year, the Onze d'Or, and many others.
5. Pierre Emrick Aubameyang – $30 Million
Pierre Emrick Aubameyang is the 5th richest footballer in Africa in 2021, with a net worth of $30 million. Aubameyang is a Gabon professional striker that plays for Barcelona in La Liga.
Arsenal's striker, Pierre Emrick Aubameyang, is the 5th richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
Aubameyang was rated as one of the best strikers in Europe in the past years, having scored 141 goals in 213 appearances for Borussia Dortmund during his time in Germain Bundesliga.
In 2018, Aubameyang joined Arsenal for the club's record fee of £56 million. Currently, he receives a lucrative weekly salary worth £350,000, the highest of any Arsenal player, thus increasing his net worth to become the 5th richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
In January 2022 Aubameyang moved to Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga after falling out of favour with Arsenal's fans as well as manager Mikel Arteta.
He has also won many individual awards that have increased his net worth, including Ligue 1 Best African Player 2013, Bundesliga Player of the Year 2015, African Footballer of the Year 2015, etc.
6. Victor Moses – $25 Million
Victor Moses is the 6th richest footballer in Africa in 2021, with a colossal net worth valued at $25 million. Victor Moses has played for different Premier League clubs in the past few years.
Victor Moses is the sixth richest footballer in Africa in 2021
Premier League clubs like Crystal Palace, Wigan Athletic, Liverpool, Stoke City, and West Ham have all enjoyed the services of the talented player who plays as a winger.
Victor Moses currently plays for Russian club Spartak Moscow and also Nigerian national team. The 30-year-old striker joined the Russian club in the 2021 transfer window after spending the 2020 season on loan with the club.
Moses joined his former manager, Antonio Conte, on loan at Inter Milan during the 2019 season. He and Conte won the Premier League title in 2016 before joining the Russian club at the end of his loan spell at the Italian side.
7. Asamoah Gyan – $25 Million
Asamoah Gyan took the 7th position as one of the richest footballers in Africa in 2021, with a net worth of $25 million. His playing records in different countries have helped him obtain a position in the richest African footballer's ranking.
Asamoah Gyan is the 7th richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
In the early career of Asamoah Gyan, he was one of the fine African strikers due to his skills and goal-scoring ability. In the 2010 World Cup, he helped his country, Ghana, reach the quarter-final stage.
Following the World Cup tournament, Ghana became the third African country to reach the quarter-final stage of the World Cup competition.
Gyan has played for Udinese in the Italian Serie A, Rennes in the French Ligue 1, Sunderland in the Premier League, Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates, Shanghai SIPG in the Chinese Super League, and Kayserispor in Turkey.
Gyan's salaries at these clubs have helped him become one of the top ten richest footballers in Africa in 2021.
Adding to Gyan's salaries over the years, his awards have helped increase his net worth, making him the 7th richest footballer in Africa.
His awards include BBC African Footballer of the Year 2010, UAE Pro League Top Scorer 2011, 2012, 2013, and AFC Champions League Top Scorer 2014.
Asamoah Gyan plays for Legon Cities in Ghana after returning to his homeland in November 2020.
8. Kevin Prince Boateng – $20 Million
Kevin Boateng is the 8th richest footballer in Africa in 2021. The star player has a total net worth of $20 million, a vast amount that suits his talents. Boateng is currently a Hertha BSC player after returning from Italian club Monza in the 2021 transfer window.
After four years of playing for Ghana in the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations, Boateng retired from international competition. Boateng is the second Ghanaian to make the top ten richest footballers in Africa in 2021.
Kevin Prince Boateng is the 8th richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
It will surprise some people to see Kevin Prince Boateng listed among the top ten richest footballers in Africa in 2021. His successful early career has helped him reach such a milestone as one of the richest footballers in Africa.
In the past, Kevin Prince Boateng played in different European clubs where he earned so much money, increasing his net worth by a huge amount.
The top striker has played for AC Milan, Schalke 04, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sassuolo, Barcelona, and many other clubs.
9. Odion Ighalo – $20 Million
Odion Jude Ighalo is the 9th richest footballer in Africa in 2021, with a net worth of $20 million. Odion Jude Ighalo is a Nigerian professional player who has gained so much wealth playing for different clubs in different countries, including Watford and Manchester United in the English top flight.
As a true Manchester United fan, playing for Manchester United on a six-month loan is one of his wildest dreams ever.
Odion Ighalo is the 9th richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
Ighalo was receiving a huge salary worth 45,000 pounds per week at Watford. The star player received a salary for two years at Watford.
His huge net worth increased when he joined Changchun Yataiin in 2017 at the Chinese Super League and another Chinese club, CSL giants Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, in 2019.
After a loan move to Manchester United in 2019, where Ighalo agreed to receive a pay cut of 150,000 pounds per week, he joined Saudi Arabian club Al Shabab.
Adding to Ighalo's 9th position in the top ten richest footballers in Africa, he is also the second richest footballer in Nigeria.
10. Riyad Mahrez - Net worth of $18.5 million
Riyad Mahrez is the 10th richest footballer in Africa in 2021, with a net worth of $18.5 million, thanks to his successful career in England. Mahrez is an Algerian professional player who plays as a winger for English club Manchester City.
Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez is the 10th richest footballer in Africa in 2021.
The talented winger who captains his country has had success since moving to England from Le Havre in France.
Mahrez joined Leicester City in the EFL Championship in 2013 and helped them get promoted to the Premier League. In 2015, he won the Premier League title with Leicester.
Mahrez received a good salary from Leicester City, which helped increase his net worth to a minimum level.
In 2018, the superstar joined Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in a £60 million deal for a five-year contract. At City, Mahrez receives a substantial weekly salary worth £200,000.
His vast salary has helped him earn a spot as the 10th richest footballer in Africa.
Mahrez's awards have also helped him gain so much money that it has helped him become one of the top ten richest footballers in Africa.
His awards include CAF African Footballer of the Year 2016, BBC African Footballer of the Year 2016, Algerian Footballer of the Year 2015 and 2016, PFA Players' Player of the Year 2015, PFA Fans' Player of the Year 2016, and many more.